Paradise Found
by Sheba the Lone Wolf
Summary: When Toboe, injured and bleeding, finds himself on Leara's doorstep, he finds that the paradise he had always searched for was right beneath his nose. Leara/Toboe. One-shot. Fluff.


**Disclaimer: Sheba the Lone Wolf does not own Wolf's Rain. **

**Pairings: Toboe/Leara. **

**Paradise Found **

The snow sent a searing pain throughout Toboe's aching body, burning the deep wound that blemished his stomach. As he crawled through the snow, whimpering in agony, blood stained the whiteness of the snow, seeping from his stomach. In the distance, he could see the billows of smoke rising from the chimney of a cabin, the rooftop blanketed with snow.

He gave a silent plead that whoever rested inside the cabin would want to help him. He relied on his human disguise to win him into the cabin; someone would be more likely to help a boy with an injury this serious than a wounded wolf. This beam of hope gave him the strength to pull himself onward.

Toboe struggled to climb the snow-coated stairs leading onto the porch. Collapsing, he cloaked himself with a human disguise and, with a feeble, shaking hand, pounded softly on the door. Blood stained the boards of the porch; he hoped that the homeowner wouldn't mind.

"Toboe?"

His gaze drifted upward to meet the eyes of Leara. She was terror-stricken at the sight of the human-disguised wolf, recalling how he had accidentally murdered her falcon a few months before. But, her horror at the boy's condition was worse than her fear. She knew that she would have no choice but to forgive him; he would die if she didn't tend to him.

He wobbled, slowly, into the house and Leara helped him into the bathroom. He collapsed on the tiles and she grimaced, noting his blood loss and the depth of the injury. Whispering reassurance to him, to pulled a towel beneath his bleeding stomach and unbuttoned his shirt, pulling it from his torso to dab his wound with a dampened washrag. He gritted his teeth as the water stung the gash.

"Shh…," Leara soothed, tucking a lock of auburn hair behind his ear. "You're alright."

She finished rinsing his wound and took a moment to rummage through the cabinets for the roll of gauze bandaging and duct tape. With a moan, he sat up and leaned against her while she enfolded his stomach in white dressing, taping the bandage to seal it. Returning her supplies to the cabinets and wiping blood from the tiles, she kneeled beside of Toboe so he could hold on to her and walk.

"How do you feel?" she asked. His reply was a soft moan. She frowned and, reaching the living room, helped him lie down on the sofa, which sat in front of the fireplace, where a warm fire glowed. He rested his head on one of the decorative pillows and closed his eyes to rest.

"Are you hungry?" Leara inquired. He shook his head. He was silent, his stomach aching and stiff. Toboe was too exhausted to speak; he was lucky to have survived.

"I'll let you rest," she said. "It's obvious you're not in the mood for a conversation."

Exiting the room, Leara left Toboe to sleep on the sofa, before the warmth of the fireplace. The room was warm and he was exhausted from long days of travel without stopping to rest or eat. His stomach throbbed, but he ignored the pain and allowed himself to fall into a deep, dreamless sleep.

"Toboe?"

Drowsily, he opened his eyes and peered in silence at Leara. She smiled her greeting and laid a hand on his head to pet him. He had slept for four hours, while Leara had prepared a meal and a bed for him. With a silver fork, she fed him pieces of medium-well steak, which he accepted graciously. His full stomach made his exhaustion worse; his wound throbbed agonizingly. The agony that arose as he wobbled, with Leara's help, into his new room was enough to make him wish that she had let him die.

She helped him lie down on the bed and pulled the quilt over him. Snowflakes fell outside, freshening the fallen layers of snow. Toboe closed his eyes and awaited sleep, while Leara stroked his hair and caressed his face. He rested his head in her lap and managed to smile, a weak and lopsided grin.

"Thanks…," he whispered. She was relieved to hear his voice; she had suspected their last encounter had left him angry and he was giving her the "silent treatment".

Leara caressed Toboe's cheek and smiled, brushing stray strands of hair from his face with gentle fingers.

"_This is paradise," _Toboe thought. _"I finally found paradise." _

**A/N: This rewrite was much shorter than the original, but I think it was better. I have five one-shots left to rewrite; I should be finished soon. Please review. **

**~Sheba~**


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